The Editor’s Manual
Free learning resource on English grammar, punctuation, usage, and style.
Capitalize names of holidays, such as “Christmas” and “Hanukkah.” Don’t capitalize adjectives like “happy” and “merry” or common nouns like the word “holidays,” unless at the start of a sentence.
Don’t capitalize phrases like “happy birthday” when talking about wishing someone. Feel free to capitalize them in personal greetings.
You may either omit or include the comma after greetings like “Hi” and “Hello” in informal email salutations, depending on preference.
Use “Sincerely,” “Best wishes,” or “Regards” (or “Warm regards,” “Best regards,” “Kind regards”) to close a formal or business email. Don’t use casual sign-offs like “Cheers” or “Best” in formal communication.
Use “Regards” when another formal closing (“Sincerely,” “Best wishes”) does not seem appropriate, but neither does an informal closing such as “Best” or “Cheers.”
Use the right sign-off depending on the tone of your email. Formal closings include “Sincerely,” “Best wishes,” and “Kind regards.” Informal or personal closings include “Cheers” and “Love.”
Use either a comma or a colon after a greeting. The colon is preferred in business or other formal communication in U.S. style.
Various phrases can begin an email, depending on formality (dear So-and-So, hi, hello, good morning). Using an appropriate salutation can set the right tone for your correspondence.
Don’t capitalize greetings like “good morning” except at the start of a sentence. Capitalize all words in an email salutation if it stands alone but only the first word if followed by a name.